Overview
- Authorities say a vehicle breached Temple Israel in West Bloomfield during preschool hours before on-site security engaged the driver and the suspect was found dead in the vehicle.
- DHS identified the suspect as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, a Lebanon-born U.S. citizen who entered the country in 2011 and was naturalized in 2016.
- Temple Israel reported all 140 early childhood students and staff were safe; one lead security officer was struck by the vehicle and is hospitalized but expected to recover.
- The crash sparked a fire that filled parts of the building with heavy smoke, prompting explosives sweeps of the vehicle and facility, and dozens of officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
- The FBI is calling the attack a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community, with ATF and the DOJ civil-rights division assisting as investigators work to determine motive.